


Walk Among Gods

by VinoVeritas



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Get your wookieepedia ready, Just Your Usual Space Action Drama, LOTS of Legends Lore, Original Characters - Freeform, Rey being Awesome, Supreme Leader Kylo Ben, This Ship Is Loaded With Canons, everyone gets a turn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-07-28 09:31:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16238882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VinoVeritas/pseuds/VinoVeritas
Summary: The Resistance is in trouble. Funds are low and you can’t overthrow an empire without some financial backing. Same goes for running said empire. The universe spins on the finger of those with the most credits and it’s a race to be the first to the table. Enemies are forced into tentative trueces as each barrel towards the same goal. Who will win? The First Order? The Resistance? Or maybe... the galaxy? Dark and Light are brought together and maybe this time they’ll get it right. It’s only taken a thousand years. Stranger things have happened.





	1. Chapter 1

The echo of boots was deafening. The sharp _clack_ pulsated as if coming from inside his own head rather than the durasteel walls surrounding him. His uniform was too tight, the weight he had lost recently doing nothing to alleviate the pressure. He felt constricted within the suit he once wore with pride. It, along with the pins it adorned, had been a symbol of his success; his ability to break free of the chains placed upon him by his ever unsatisfied father. Now they felt like dead weight, a reminder of his failure.

Hux stopped in front of the door to the audience chamber. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before entering. He needed his mind clear. Though he lacked the power to block those who would read his thoughts, he still had it within him to keep their suspicions at a minimum. He could not – _would_ _not_ – give _him_ the satisfaction of knowing his true intentions. He would bide his time and pounce like a snake at the opportune moment. Until then he could not let suspicion be his downfall.

Opening the door to the chamber, he entered with a straight back, head held high.

The _Supreme_ _Leader_ was waiting.

To his surprise he was also not alone.

Three figures stood next to their leader on the dais of his throne, all cloaked in black hoods that covered their faces. He noted the lack of masks; unusual for their creed, though perhaps a show of unity with their master who also sat mask-less upon the throne he had confiscated from their former Leader.

 _Fraud_.

The thought slipped before he could control it. If it had been noticed, it went unmentioned as the _Supreme_ _Leader_ regarded him.

“Any news, General?”

Hux stood in as rigid a stance as he could, tilting his chin higher.

“The financier is willing to take your deal, _my_ _lord_ ,” damn him for not being able to control the sneer in his own voice, “but he has a condition of his own.”

“And that is?” Kylo Ren, despite all his training in the Force, was still incapable of controlling his features. His emotions played across his face with such clarity a blind man could read them. Hux saw pride transform to irritation then to anger in the split second it occurred. That man, his _Leader_ , could not truly hide his thoughts if he tried. It would be his downfall.

“There is an item he wishes us to obtain in order to cement our end of the bargain. Our intelligence has identified its location. I’ve sent you the details.”

Kylo Ren tapped a button on the arm rest of the throne to reveal a holopad with said information. He skimmed it lazily; an act, Hux noted. It was all an act. To the causal observer the Supreme Leader seemed relaxed, his legs crossed and chin resting on the knuckles of his fist, but Hux knew better. Ren’s muscles were taught, ready to strike at a moments notice. The man was always on edge. Another weakness to exploit later.

“I have two battalions ready to deploy at your command. With your permission we need only to –“

“That won’t be necessary,” Kylo Ren interjected, closing the holopad as he stood. “I’ll retrieve the item myself.”

It took a great deal of control for Hux to hold back his initial – reflexive – retort.

“With all do respect, _Supreme_ _Leader_ ,” he said, not bothering to hold back his distaste, “such a task can be left to others. Surly, there are more pressing matters you could attend yourself to.” Such as finding and destroying the rest of the Resistance, perhaps? But Hux had his own theories about that.

No doubt his agitation, though that was a soft word for it, was palpable. But Kylo Ren ignored it, instead brushing past him, his Knights not far behind.

“I’m sure you and your troops are more than capable of handling those ‘other matters’ on your own. This is more important.” He stopped at the door and turned to face Hux. “I wouldn’t want our new financier to think me a fraud, now would I?”

Hux felt cold envelop him as he watched Kylo and the Knights of Ren depart, the door closing with a loud thud behind them. His whole body felt as if it were freezing from the inside out, paralyzing him where he stood. His only reprieve coming a half second before his blood began to boil, causing him to scream out in pain. The echo of his cries thundered in his brain, drowning out the the loud clack of footsteps from the hall.

...

Being in the First Order had given Finn a different kind of insight into the minds of those within it. They were, quite obviously, a military operation, but every officer he had the displeasure of meeting was similar. They were all ambitious. Which made them hard to trust. Which made Finn overly suspicious of just about everyone outside of the Resistance, First Order or not.

Which meant that Finn thought Poe’s plan was downright ludicrous.

“How do we know we can trust this guy?” Finn asked. “How do we know that he’s going to hold up his end?”

“We don’t,” said Poe, resting his body on the control panel in front of him. He looked tired. Worn. Finn couldn’t blame him, but he also couldn’t let his friend’s judgement be clouded by fatigue or desperation. And they were pretty damn desperate. Of that there was no doubt. “But it’s the best chance we have. We have to try.”

What was left of the resistance had been planet hoping for months. Reserves, fuel, and more importantly funds had been running low since the beginning. If the people within the resistance, much less the organization as a whole, had any chance of surviving they needed a plan. Finn just didn’t like the one Poe was proposing.

At all.

“So what? We get the thing this guy needs – the - ”

“The amulet, yes.”

“And then what? Hand it to him on a silver platter and wait for him to hand _us_ over to the First Order? I don’t like it. It sounds too easy. Too good to be true.”

“I know, buddy, I know.” Poe ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling a deep breath Finn hadn’t noticed he was holding. He seemed particularly worn out today, more so than usual. Almost like…

“There’s something else he wants, isn’t there?” Finn could read it on his friends face. He wasn’t telling him the whole story. The look Poe gave him confirmed it.

“I knew it,” he said, pointing his finger into Poe’s shoulder, “I knew that sniveling little slug couldn’t be trusted. What else does he want? What else could he possibly want from us?”

Poe paused. He didn’t look at Finn. “He wants Rey.”

Finn nearly blacked out from rage. “Oh _hell_ no!” Poe tried to quiet Finn down, the measly hall they were in providing little to no resistance against prying ears. “You can’t be serious, Poe!” Finn whisper-yelled. “You can’t seriously be thinking about handing Rey over to that self absorbed, slimy, grease ball of a –“

“Of _course_ _not_ , Finn!” Poe held his hands firmly on Finn’s shoulders to steady him. “He just wants to meet her. When we hand him the amulet. That’s all.”

“Not to sound like a broken holotape, but _how_ _do_ _we_ _know_ _we_ _can_ _trust_ _him_?” Finn articulated each word carefully so his friend would understand the gravity of the situation. “He could just take her and hand her over to the First Order.”

Poe smirked.

“Finn, come on. You and I both know Rey would never allow that.”

True. Rey was formidable, for sure. They had both seen as much with their own eyes. In the months since Crait they had both witnessed first hand how her powers had grown. She wouldn’t go quietly, without a doubt.

“Besides, we have to get the amulet, first,” Poe continued, turning them both to walk down the hall of their makeshift base. “That’s the real challenge.”

“Where’s it at?” Finn asked, dreading the answer immediately.

“Dxun.”

... 

“Never heard of it,” Rey said, sitting next to General Organa in the ‘control room’ they had fashioned for themselves. Half empty boxes doubled as chairs, a broken control panel was repurposed as a table, and partially broken windows had been scraped clean of however many decades of dust to provide what little light they could get. The room was functional, which was all they could ask for.

“It’s not a nice place,” the General said, patting Rey’s thigh lightly.

“That’s putting it mildly.” Poe handed her a data pad. “It’s a jungle moon orbiting Onderon in the Inner Rim.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Assuming, of course, that we manage to make it there, presumably through the shortest route –“

“Hutt territory,” Finn said, ruefully.

“ – The moon itself is a whole other matter. It’s covered in a thick jungle with near constant rains that will destroy anything mechanical we bring – coms devices, trackers, the lot.”

“Not to mention the thousands of species, large and small, whose only goal will be to eat us.”

“That sounds – lovely,” Rey said, sarcastically. “And what is it we’re looking for to make this whole suicidal trip worth it?”

“My Mother’s amulet,” Leia answered. “There’s nothing special about it. It’s just a precious stone her parents fashioned into a necklace. It was given to her most loyal servant as a token of appreciation.” Leia seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment. “I’d seen it only once when Sabé came to visit me on Alderaan. She offered it to me but I refused. She had known my mother. It felt right to leave her something to remember her by.”

Rey took Leia’s hand and squeezed. The reminder of family lost hit her hard and Rey could feel her pain through the Force. The woman had to endure so many hardships throughout her life, far too many for Rey to count. Not the least of which being the recent loss of her husband and brother, as well as the very real fear that she may never see her son again.

“I don’t know why he wants it,” Leia continued, steeling herself; the General in place once again. “Like I said, there is nothing special about it.”

“Nonetheless,” said Poe, “it’s the payment that’s being asked for in order to cement our deal. Our resources say that Sabé last had it on Dxun and lost it trying to flee the moon.”

“So, if she lost it then how are we going to find it?” Rey asked skeptically. It would be like looking for a specific grain of sand in the desert.

“That’s were you come in,” Poe chimed. “It turns out the amulet gives off a specific Force signature that you should be able to pick up on.” He turned to look at Leia. “Turns out it’s more special than you thought.” He seemed very pleased with himself.

She still thought it would be impossible.

But she agreed nonetheless. They needed funds, to be sure. As it was the resistance was operating on fumes, barely able to put together a single squadron much less a whole fleet.

The short of it was they needed help, and if that meant traversing a deadly jungle moon for a nearly impossible to find artifact that may be the key to getting said help then who was she to argue.

...

The trip to Onderon was fairly uneventful and routine.

With one exception.

“What was that?” Everyone was instantly on alert at the sound of metal hitting metal. The Falcon was a sturdy-ish ship that hadn’t failed them yet, but hearing that unmistakable clank while in hyperspace was unsettling to say the least.

Rey focused the Force around her to find the problem then let out a sigh. She’d been distracted while they loaded the ship, thinking about a million different things at once. Some thoughts close to home, others half a galaxy away. So she hadn’t noticed until just then that they had a stow away on board.

“Rose,” she said patiently, “I know you’re there. Come on out.”

The petite woman peeked out from her hiding spot under the floor; the same spot, Rey noticed, she and Finn had used their first time on the Falcon; and looked about sheepishly. Her eyes settled on Finn who did not look pleased.

“Rose, what the hell are you doing here,” Finn chastised as he and Poe lifted the metal grate covering the access panel. Rey helped Rose out, grabbing her hands and lifting.

“I overheard you talking about the mission and I wanted to help.” She at least had the self awareness to be slightly embarrassed of her brashness, but Rey couldn’t blame her. She probably would have done the same.

“This is dangerous, Rose,” Finn said, sounding very much like a mother hen. “There is a very real chance of death on this mission. You just got cleared to return to active duty. You should be _resting_!”

“Finn, I –“ But any retort Rose had was stopped short by Poe.

“It’s too late now. We don’t have the time to turn back and drop her off. Rose stays.” Rose smiled broadly. “ _As_ _long_ ,” Poe continued with command, “as you follow orders and do not leave our sight. Finn’s right. It won’t be pretty where we’re going so we’ll need to stick together and work as a team.”

Rey felt the pride swell up in Finn. She doubted he knew he projected his feelings so openly. She wasn’t the only one who noticed. “Same goes for you, buddy. No heroes on this mission. We get in, get what we need and get out as fast as possible. I don’t want to be stuck in the jungle for any longer than necessary.”

None of them did.

...

“We’re here.”

Rey, Rose, and Finn met Poe in the cockpit where Rey was able to see Dxun for the first time. It was a mossy green color, wholly different than the lush greens of Takodana. The whole moon seemed to be sick from the core, not unlike its parent planet of Onderon.

“Why does it look like that?” Rose asked, giving a voice to Rey’s own thoughts.

“The moon and the planet share an atmosphere,” said Poe as he began their landing procedures. Rey jumped into the copilots seat and began her own preparations. “A couple times a year the moon gets so close enough to the planet that their atmospheres merge so they’re practically twins.” Poe smirked. “It’s fine for humanoids, so don’t worry. But it’s not a place you want to take a vacation.”

“If you say so,” Rey could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but she knew Rose was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

A tug at the Force took Rey’s attention. It was familiar, yet so distant as to almost seem foreign. Her breath caught in her throat at what she thought it could be. _It’s_ _not_ _possible_. Why would it… why would _he_...

As soon as Rey stepped foot on to the moon she knew her suspicions were right. She could sense it more clearly now. It was an unmistakable feeling that started somewhere deep in her soul, then moved straight into her bones. It moved through her body like a wave, crashing against her.

Part of her knew she should be terrified of the implications of this feeling - what it meant for their mission - but she couldn’t bring herself to.

 _He_ was there. On the moon.

He was there and he knew _she_ was there.

He pulled at their bond, desperate to see her - connect with her. The ferocity with which he clawed at her consciousness surprised her. Their last meeting, the last time she saw his face, she was sure he would hate her. Certain of it. But this was not hate she felt. It was something… more.

It both excited and startled her.

“Rey, what’s wrong?” Finn’s voice brought her back. She concentrated on keeping him out of her thoughts.

“Kylo Ren is here.”

The words were barely a whisper to her own ears, but they reacted as if she had shouted from a mountain top. They all stopped mid motion; Poe unloading crates from the Falcon, Rose surveying the local area, Finn centimeters away from placing his hand on her shoulder. Time itself seemed to stop.

The spell was broken by Poe, his voice sounding like steel, as thick as the air around them.

“We need to hurry.”

...

His breath caught in his lungs, stopping him short. The dense atmosphere of the moon felt even more suffocating as that familiar presence washed over him. He knew it instantly. He’d know it anywhere.

She was here.

 _Rey_.

He reached out to her instinctively and cursed himself for it immediately. It was less of a habit and more of a biological need at this point. Their interactions through the Force had been slim, yet all consuming. It had been _months_ since he’d seen her - _felt_ her - and he found that he craved her like a parched man in a desert craves water. The intensity of it was frightening.

He bit the inside of his cheek to gain some clarity. He could not afford the distraction.

“Lord Ren?”

“We have company.” She would not be alone. And it didn’t take a Force user to figure out why she was there. “Speed up your efforts. Find what we need.”

“Should we neutralize them first?”

Logically, yes. It would make searching easier. However…

“No. Focus on recovering the amulet. We’ll deal with them if it comes to that.”

He felt their unease, his Knights. He was acting out of character. He knew that. They knew that. But it couldn’t be helped. They would follow his orders no matter what, he was certain. But, if – _when_ – the time came what would those orders be?

He couldn’t think of it. He’d deal with it in the moment. He steeled himself; focused on the mission. He cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and felt through the Force.

 _Where_ _was_ _the_ _amulet?_

_..._

  
“Can you feel it yet?” Finn asked for the up-tenth time.

“Not yet,” she replied, attempting to keep a patient tone yet failing miserably. How did he expect her to concentrate with his incessant questions?

“Well, keep trying.”

Rey wanted to scream.

She felt _something_ in the Force, but she was absolutely certain it wasn’t the amulet. It skirted on the edge of her consciousness, murky and barely there, but it was too familiar to be anything other than _him_.

The Force kept wanting to pull her towards it and she’d have lied if she said she wasn’t tempted, even if it was only curiosity to see what the Force willed for her. But as she played around with the idea another life force called out to her. One that was powerful. Angry.

Rey barely had enough time to register the presence before she felt the ground shake beneath her. All sound and movement stopped simultaneously, the very moon itself coming to a standstill.

Rey took a breath. Time stopped. Then..

“ _RUN_!”

The word barely left her lips before a monstrous creature leapt out from the trees towards them. A giant, four-legged beast the color of bark with spikes all over its body. Its sharp teeth dripped with saliva as it chomped at them, barely missing Finn’s arm as he scrambled, grabbing on to Rose and practically hauling her away.

They ran for all they were worth but Rey feared it still wouldn’t be enough. Releasing her quarter staff lightsaber she had fashioned from Luke’s she forced herself to fall behind. As she ran she sliced at the trees, trying to put any and all obstacles between them and the beast. That seemed to do the trick. The beast fell behind, giving them just enough leverage to have a safer lead on it. But it wouldn’t be enough.

They needed to escape it.

Just as that thought left her she felt his presence again. Closer this time, the distance between them closing with every step. They were running right into him.

She tried to project to him what was happening; the urgency of it all. Rey hoped he would run, get clear of the monster’s path and to safety since he had a better lead. It was to her chagrin, then, that she saw him charge towards her, lightsaber drawn. Ready for battle.

She heard Poe curse as loudly as the beast behind them; saw him raise his blaster up to fire at Ben, aiming to kill – he wouldn’t miss, beast or no. She ran as fast as she could, racing to get to Ben before Poe could take the shot. The blaster grazed her back as she grabbed Ben by the arm, yanking him into motion behind her.

“RUN!”

Against his will he followed. Rey kept looking back to see where the beast was, noticing three black cloaked figures falling behind their group. They took over where Rey left off, slicing down trees and debris to slow the creature down with red-bladed sabers of their own.

They couldn’t out run the beast forever. They needed someway to elude it. The answer came to her through the Force.

She sensed water near by. A lot of it. Motioning towards the group, beckoning them to follow her, she headed towards it. As she got closer she could see the water more clearly in her mind; a river. Big enough for them to get away. Deep enough that the beast couldn’t follow.

There was only one problem.

“Are you crazy!?” She heard Ben call.

“Any better ideas?”

Apparently he had none.

“Hold on!” Ben called back to the others. As they neared the precipice he grabbed her hand, squeezing tight. She held on tighter.

With all their strength they leapt from the cliff and into the raging waters below.

...

  
Finn had learned a long time ago to get over his fear of heights. That was one of the first things the First Order did with its young ‘recruits,’ forced them to face their worst fears. It was part of their reconditioning process.

Despite that, that old fear reared it’s ugly head as soon as he realized Rey had them all leaping off a cliff into who-knew-what below. He trusted Rey with his life, but trust was nothing in the face of irrational fear. It sure as hell didn’t feel irrational, though, as one of the darksiders grabbed onto the back of his jacket and basically threw him off the cliff.

It took Finn one second to scream his lungs out and another to gather as much air as he could before he hit the water. He wasn’t a terrible swimmer on a good day, but fighting the current proved to be more challenging than not. He felt himself being pulled under by the sheer power of the river.

Just as he thought he was going to die another strength pulled him up. Gasping for air Finn tried to swim, but instead found himself being practically carried to shore by a grip on his jacket stronger than anything he’d ever felt before. He was hurled onto the bank and unceremoniously dumped next to Poe. Both men coughed and spit water from their lungs, gasping for air.

“Slow breaths, kid,” said a deep, masculine voice from above. It was then Finn realized the one who had basically saved him was a mountain of a man, dressed in black, standing on the shore line next to a smaller black-cloaked figure with fiery red hair. They regarded one another silently, the man’s hand coming up to caress a very feminine cheek. Then he turned towards the river. “Q’wyn!”

“We’re fine,” said the third figure, a slender man with pale skin and hair. Cradled in his arms was a bundle of wet clothes and dark hair. It took Finn a minute to realize what it was.

“Rose!” He scurried to her as fast as his limbs world carry him, so not fast at all. His body was weak from running for his life and fighting against the current of the river.

By the time he made it to Rose the man carrying her had gently placed her on the ground on what looked like a soft patch of moss. He held her head in one hand and placed his other over her mouth. Finn watched dumbfounded as water came out of Rose’s mouth to form a ball in the air. The man, Q’wyn, placed her head down on the moss.

“She’s fine,” he said, kindly; his voice soft. “Just overwhelmed, I think.” He offered Finn a kind smile then stood to return to his comrades by the shore.

Poe had half crawled, half ran towards them, sighing with relief that they were all okay. Only then did he turn to glare daggers at the other three with them.

“Who are you people?” He asked, his voice laced with venom and hoarse from coughing.

The mountain spoke first. “Name’s Tyr. This is Juun and Q’wyn.”

“And you’re with the First Order?”

“We are the Knights of Ren,” Tyr said, not really answering the question.

“What’s left of them, anyway,” said Juun, her accent thick.

“So then Kylo Ren is your boss?” That name seemed to open a flood gate for both Finn and Poe. They looked around them frantically searching, but came up short. They were missing someone. Someone important.

“Where’s Rey?” They asked in unison.

Tyr raised an eyebrow at their demanding tone then glanced towards Q’wyn

“They’re about half way down the river,” he replied, his eyes turning glassy as he spoke. “Still alive. I can’t see any life-threatening injuries.”

“We have to get to her,” Finn said, panicked. If Rey was with Kylo Ren then who knew how much danger she was in. He needed to see her. Make sure she was okay.

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Juun asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

“We can find her,” Finn said, though with significantly less confidence than before.

“Oh really,” said Juun, skeptically. “None of you are Force sensitive, so how do you expect to do that? And what about your little friend here? She’s not going anywhere soon. You lot can barely manage to carry yourselves, how do you plan to drag an unconscious girl through the jungle? Not to mention other beasts out there like that zakkeg you ran into. What do you do if you meet another one of them?”

With every word out of this woman’s mouth Finn’s determination failed him ever-so-slightly. She was right. As much as it pained him to admit, she was absolutely right. He and Poe could barely manage to stand much less carry Rose through the jungle looking for Rey. And Maker forbid they ran into something else on this forsaken jungle moon that wanted to eat them. They were stuck.

One quick glance at Poe confirmed it. They both knew they couldn’t leave. Not yet.

But that begged another question.

“So then are we your prisoners?”

Juun snorted. “Hardly,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“We don’t have the resources available to take prisoners,” said Tyr. “Not to mention it’s not really in our interest.”

“What is in your interest, then?” Poe asked, weary.

“Don’t worry,” said Q’wyn, “we won’t kill.” Had that statement come from either of the others Finn wouldn’t have believed it one bit. But this Q’wyn had an air about him that put Finn at ease. But for all he knew that could have been a manipulation of the Force. At least Finn thought that was something the Force could do.

“Our interests are the same as yours. Find our companion and get off this moon before something decides to make us its dinner.”

Tyr paused for a moment, considering something.

“What do you say to a temporary truce?” The question was asked openly but Finn had a feeling it was directed more towards Poe. “We work together until we go our separate ways.”

It took Poe all of two seconds to reply.

“Sounds to me like we get the better end of this deal. Assuming you don’t kill us in our sleep, we get three trained Force users at our backs. What do you get out of it?”

Tyr smirked. “Seeing you three dead isn’t in our best interest, either.”

“How so?”

The three Knights of Ren stood silent, none trying to conceal the smiles slowly creeping up their faces.

“Let’s just say your friend is a Force unto herself. And we’re not particularly keen on finding ourselves at the wrong end of her saber.”

…

For all intents and purposes they were alive. That was one blessing.

Rey tried to think of another. She really tried, but it was hard when she was waterlogged and gasping for air against the burn inside her lungs. She crawled across the ground, fighting the weight of her dead limbs, towards dry land. They were alive, she kept telling herself. At least there was that.

“Are you alright?” Ben asked, walking to shore behind her. He still had use of his limbs, she noticed with more than a little bitterness. Even if he was a bit sluggish.

Rey couldn’t answer. Every breath she took to speak caused her to cough harder than before. She slammed her head against her arm, face first in the gravel, and coughed up another lung.

“Slow your breathing down,” Ben chastised, standing above her. If she could have focused on anything other than not dying of suffocation she would have felt his concern through the Force, undermining his harsh tone. As it was, she raised her eyes to meet his and gave him a look she hoped would set him on fire with her ire. Instead he scoffed at her. “Hard to be intimidating when you look like a drowned dessert mouse.”

She coughed again. This time she tried to take slower, shallow breaths, despite her body’s desire for more oxygen. After a few seconds she felt herself calm. She breathed in through her nose, the pain in her lungs subsiding slightly. She saw Ben stand along the shoreline, scanning the area. After a few more gruelingly long seconds Rey finally felt like she might survive.

“How far down river did we go?” She asked.

“Further than I’d have liked,” he replied, grim. “Five kilometers, at least. Maybe more. It’s hard to tell.” He turned to her. “Jumping into a rapid river was the best plan you had?”

Through their bond Rey felt his anger. It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped down her spine. It peaked her own ire and caused the little hairs on her arms to rise with the anticipation of a challenge. She was too tired to fight, though. She barely had enough energy to stay conscious, much less argue a moot point with him.

But Rey could never resist a challenge.

“What else would you have had me do?”

“Did you even think about the consequences?” He asked, his voice rising with every word. “ _You_. _Can’t_. _Swim_! Yet you dive head first into a raging river – off a _cliff_ , no less - without a second thought for your own safety. You could have –“

Ben stopped himself. He was pulling at his hair in frustration at this point, having yelled at her till his face was red. He turned heel, facing away from her, head towards the sky in a silent prayer. Rey watched as he collected himself. His hands came back down to his sides, his fists clenching and unclenching. With what seemed like resignation he lowered his head, his shoulders squared. He turned back around.

“Get up,” he commanded. “We need to get moving.”

Rey watched as he stalked off into the jungle without her. She stayed put, collecting herself before she finally rose to her feet slowly. She stretched her sore limbs, bringing her arms across her chest one at a time, acutely feeling the blaster burn on her back. She stretched her thighs. Then her shoulders. And finally her neck.

Feeling much more loose and able bodied she searched around for her quarter staff saber which Ben had apparently dumped unceremoniously near by. She picked it up, examining it throughly. It seemed to be in good condition still, the water not having done much damage to it. She was happy about that.

She felt him returning, his anger like a cloud around him. He was absolutely livid at her. So much so she doubted he could even see straight.

He pounded through the underbrush towards her, his fists tight balls at his sides.

“Is this all some kind of joke to you?” He sputtered at her, his anger barely contained. “We need to get moving _now_ otherwise – “

Anything else he may have said was lost when Rey spun her quarter staff at him, saber sheathed, hitting him square in the chest, then spinning down to swipe his feet out from under him. Ben landed ass to ground, his limbs a jumbled mess around him. Rey pressed the tip of her staff at his chest, saber buzzing, locking him to the ground beneath it. His eyes were wide as he starred up at her, mouth agape.

“You may have declared yourself Supreme Leader,” she said, her voice low and measured, “but not here. Not _now_. I will not be ordered about like one of your _minions_. Is that clear?”

Flabbergasted, Ben nodded his head ever so slightly. Satisfied enough for now Rey removed the staff from his chest and offered her hand. After a moment he took it and she hurled him to his feet.

“We need to find the others,” she said, releasing his hand.

Ben nodded and followed silently as she led the way into the jungle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wookieepedia links:
> 
> Dxun - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dxun  
> Zakkeg - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zakkeg/Legends  
> Padme’s Amulet - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Padmé_Amidala%27s_amulet


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action! Adventure! All of which the author has no idea how to write so you KNOW it’s going to be fun!!
> 
> Enjoy!

  
Their trek through the jungle was painfully slow. Rey couldn’t remember when they were running for their lives whether or not the underbrush had been just as thick or if she just hadn’t cared – the latter seemed more likely. She cut as much out of her way as she could, but it was a slow process. Shrubs, weeds, and vines all clumped together to create a wall in front of her. In all honesty, the sheer amount of effort it took to move was pissing her off.

Her companion on the other hand seemed to be faring better. Where the underbrush came to well above Rey’s knees, for Ben they barely scratched the top of his shins. Those few inches made it a bit easier for him to trudge through. And for some reason knowing he was having an easier time than her ground on her nerves.

They continued like this in silence for some time before the rains came. Poe had warned her that the rains on the moon were insistent, but some part of Rey had hoped they would be spared that tiny bit of hell on this trip. As her already soaked clothes began to weigh her down anew she lamented that she wasn’t going to be that lucky.

 _Of_ _course_ _not_. Why would she be? So far, everything about this trip had been a disaster. She’d been separated from her friends, nearly drowned in a river, and now she was having to trek through the jungle in the rain with her only company being the brooding mess of a human being behind her. Did her luck know no bounds?

“The only one brooding right now is you,” he said behind her, having to practically yell over the downpour of heavy rain.

Rey stopped in her tracks to turn and glare at him. “ _What_?!”

“You heard me,” he said, coming closer. The rain plastered his dark hair onto his face. He blinked the water out of his eyes ferociously. “You call _me_ a brooding mess,” he scoffed. “I can hear your thoughts. You’ve done nothing but complain for the last three hours. It’s been _insufferable_.”

Rey’s jaw was agape as he moved past her to continue on. “ _Insufferable_?” She yelled at him. “I’d rather be insufferable than insatiable.” He stopped then, mere paces away from her, and turned back. “Your lust for power knows no bounds, does it? Just a few months after declaring yourself Supreme Leader and you’ve ransacked how many systems? Six?”

“Four,” he said, his voice measured as he descended upon her. “Seems the Resistance’s intelligence stems from rumors. How unsurprising.”

“What’s unsurprising is your thirst for power. Tell me, is it comfortable at the top? Is it everything you wanted?”

His face was a hairs width from hers as he whispered “more” into her ear. The word reverberated inside her as if he had shouted it in a cave. It echoed off the walls in her mind, finally settling in the pit of her stomach where one familiar feeling rose to her consciousness.

He was most certainly lying.

“Tell me something, scavenger,” his eyes burrowed deep into hers, searching, “what scarred you more the day you ran from me? Knowing that you couldn’t turn me or knowing you were so close to turning yourself?”

Instinctively Rey wanted to ignite her saber and strike at him. It’s what he expected, she knew. It’s what he wanted. The part of her that would always be tethered to him knew he was trying to pull all the right strings to make her hate him. To what purpose, she couldn’t see, but he wanted her to hate him desperately. Part of her wanted to. It would be so easy.

But there was that part of _her_ that was a part of _him_. And it knew too much of him for hate to flourish.

So instead she asks, “what was it that scarred you more,” throwing his words back at him. “Knowing you wanted me by your side or realizing you wanted more than just my power?”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. She watched his eyes as a torrent of emotions played across them, each one fleeting; passing quicker than she could name them. Eventually they settled on one she was familiar with, one she’d seen before in him.

It made her own breath catch.

“You think you know me so well, don’t you scavenger?” His voice was an octave lower as he whispered to her, the rain around them calming, making it easier to hear him. To see him. To feel him as his face – his lips – drew dangerously close to her own. “One vision and you think you know my heart.”

“No,” she whispered, her own voice betraying her. “That vision merely showed me what I already knew. You revealed yourself to me long before that.”

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly, his eyes brightening. “Maybe,” he said.

They starred at each other for what seemed like an eternity, each searching for something in the other. Neither knowing what they were looking for. It was Rey that broke the spell.

“It’ll be getting dark soon,” she said, her voice stronger than before. “We should set up camp.” It wouldn’t be safe to travel at night, they both knew that.

Slowly, Ben nodded his agreement, though he refused to move. He enveloped her space wholly and it seemed he wasn’t willing to give it up. She stepped back, giving them room, then went in search of a suitable space they could clear for their camp.

She felt his eyes on her the whole time.

…

Rose woke to a soft touch gliding across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on a familiar face above her, one who’s brow was creased with worry. She called his name, her voice barely above a whisper to her own ears. _Maker_ , she was tired.

Finn’s brows shot to the heavens at hearing his name. He called out to her but she was too exhausted to move. Her limbs felt like freighters, impossible to move no matter how hard she tried. She saw Finn worry over her again. He was saying something to someone, but she couldn’t hear him. Sleep threatened to overtake her once more.

She welcomed it.

Another face appeared before her, one wholly unfamiliar. It looked like an angel, pale skin and hair framing pale blue eyes. Rose’s vision was blurry from sleep so this creature seemed to glow in front of her. Truly ethereal.

It’s hand came to settle over her eyes and Rose instantly warmed, like a heated blanket had been dropped over her whole body. She welcomed the warmth and with it came strength. She felt her limbs become light again, her mind become clear. When she opened her eyes she saw with clarity. She called to Finn, her voice stronger than before.

He hurled her up into his arms in a bear hug. She was glad to see he had his strength, too.

“I was so worried about you,” he said into her shoulder.

“Sorry,” she said hugging him back. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She pulled back from Finn enough to look at the person crouched next to them.

“Rose,” Finn said, clearing his throat, “this is Q’wyn. He, uh… he saved your life.”

Rose could hear all the weight those four words carried for Finn. A cocktail of regret, distrust, failure and relief. She took a closer look at Q’wyn. Noticed his black garments, gloved hands, and the hilt of a light saber at his hip. According to Finn, he had saved her life. That counted for something.

“Nice to meet you, Q’wyn,” she said politely. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“You’re very welcome, Ms. Rose,” he replied, his smile reaching his eyes. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. You gave all of us quite the scare.”

Rose looked around her then and took in her surroundings. Poe sat near by, eyes trained on her - relieved. She must have scarred them all pretty badly. She wondered how close to death she really had been. Then she thought better of it. That wasn’t the kind of place her mind needed to wander.

Standing behind Poe near the shore were two more black-clad figures, an impossibly tall man with short brown hair and a slightly less tall woman with fiery red hair. Both started at her with unreadable expressions.

Rose felt a tingle at the back of her head, almost like the memory of an itch. Not really there, but feeling real nonetheless. The woman narrowed her eyes.

“You’re not afraid of us, are you?” Her accent was thick with cadence.

“Should I be?” She asked back.

“Probably,” the woman answered. “Fear is good. It keeps you alive.”

“A dark sider _would_ say that,” said Finn under his breath. Rose thought he was right.

“We don’t need to argue over ancient doctrine,” said the tall man. His tone left no room for argument. “We need to set up camp for the night.”

Rose looked up into the sky, the planet of Onderon enveloping the view. Dxun would be in its shadow soon; night, she supposed, for this world. She thought back to the beast that had chased them earlier. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of the other creatures of this world they now shared this space with. How many of them hunted at night?

She heard the woman chuckle. The sound put Rose on edge.

“Ignore her,” said Q’wyn as he came up again to check on her. “Juun is a bit of an ass, but she means well.”

Rose heard Juun’s indignant cry as she gathered wood for a fire. “Don’t tell them that,” she said. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”

The larger man chuckled softly. She saw Juun’s cheeks flush a soft pink before she sharply turned back to her task. Rose felt like there was some sort of unspoken communication going on between the taller man and Juun. Could the Force do that? She’d have to ask Rey.

But….

“Where is Rey?”

Juun chuckled. “For being so concerned with your friend, it sure takes you lot a while to realize she’s missing.”

Finn looked exceptionally downtrodden at this. “She’s with Kylo Ren. They were swept further down river than the rest of us.”

“She’s with _Kylo_ _Ren_?” Why were they all just sitting around then? “We have to go help her!”

“Help her with what?” Juun asked, like the idea was preposterous. For a moment Rose felt silly for saying it out loud. “If anyone needs help, it’s him. Poor boy doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.”

…

She moved like a wild animal; each step slow and precise. Calculated. It was captivating to observe. And observe her he did. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her if he tried.

She cleared the ground to make camp then ordered him to find suitable wood for a fire. He didn’t have the heart to tell her it would be futile with the rains, but he obeyed nonetheless. When he returned with an armload of wood she had him set it down in a pile next to her. He watched, enthralled once again, as she set about using the Force to dry the wood, her hand slowly gliding across each piece, dispelling the moisture as she went.

“Impressive,” he said, allowing her to hear the approval in his voice. “Did Skywalker teach you that?”

“No,” she said. “He didn’t teach me much of anything.” There was no bitterness, as he expected there to be. Just resignation.

“So then you’ve been exploring the Force on your own?” He sat down on a dry-ish piece of ground near her. She scooted away slightly.

“When I can,” she said after a moments pause. “It’s hard to find the time.”

“I can imagine,” he said, leaving it at that.

Part of him wanted to antagonize her. There was a sadistic side of him that wanted to push her buttons, find her limits. See where she drew her lines in the sand.

Another part, a side of himself he rarely listened to, was kicking him sideways - urging him to just shut up and not ruin this moment.

For once, he listened.

“What else have you learned?”

She starred at him for longer than he should have liked, measuring him. Gauging him. She was trying to see if there were any ulterior motives he would have had to start such a conversation. _Clever_ _girl_. She was right to not trust him. He didn’t really trust himself. Not with her. Not after the last time.

Never again.

“Little things,” she said, coming to whatever conclusions she came to. “Nothing great. I’ve gotten better at moving rocks,” she said with a smirk.

“The sign of a true Master.”

She smiled.

He was pleased.

They continued with their small talk well into the night, both decidedly avoiding any topic that would inevitably lead back to the war, the First Order, or the Rebels. For a moment it almost felt like they were friends.

Rey laughed again at another of his jokes. Her smile lit up her whole face, nose wrinkled, teeth barred.

Ben couldn’t look away.

It seemed neither could she.

Until they both felt something in the Force. It felt like an extra heart beat, a pulse that reverberated throughout his body. With each new beat his senses became more attune. Something was there with them; surrounding them. He looked to Rey, she felt it too. They both moved to grab their sabers, slowly so as not to alert whatever was out there. But as soon as his saber was in hand he realized how fruitless an effort it had been.

They likely wouldn’t make it out alive.

…

Poe hadn’t worked his way up to being the best pilot in the galaxy without the use of some damn good instincts. These instincts of his had kept him alive more times than he could count. They’d helped him as a pilot, knowing when to press forward and when to hang back. And they’d helped him as leader, though admittedly those aspects were still fairly new to him.

What Leia had taught him, though, was to use those same instinct from the battlefield and apply them to people, situations – strategy.

His instincts screamed at him now, itching like mad at his nerves, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. His whole body screamed that something was wrong, that this whole situation he and his friends found themselves in was deadly at worst, ass-backwards at best. But he had no idea why.

His gut told him that Tyr could be trusted for the most part. He knew better than to trust him fully - Poe wasn’t stupid - but he could trust him to follow through with his word. That much he was certain about. Juun was a hot head with a big mouth, but she wouldn’t go against Tyr. Their physical interactions suggested something more than simple camaraderie so he was certain she would follow suit. And Q’wyn was about as transparent as water, though Poe suspected there was a deeper well there than what was presented on the surface. Overall, while he may not trust the three Knights of Ren completely, he was confident that they wouldn’t kill them. At least until they met back with their boss.

So what the hell was this nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach?

He got up from his seat around the fire to pace. Something wasn’t right and he was going to drive himself crazy until he figured out what it was.

“Sit down, fly boy,” said Juun, “your making the lambs nervous.”

He chanced a look at Finn and Rose. They followed his every move, attune to his energy.

“What’s got you on edge, Dameron?” Asked Tyr.

Poe struggled to find the words.

“I don’t know,” he said as he paced. “Something just feels _off_. It feels, almost, like we’re being watched.”

“There’s nothing out there,” said Juun, dismissively. “We’ve been keeping tabs on things through the Force. There isn’t a creature around for kilometers.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” Poe nearly shouted at her. “A moon full of ravenous creatures and not one of them has bothered to come at us?”

This seemed to get Tyr’s attention. He stood then, eyes closed, fists clenched at his sides. Poe would have sworn he felt the energy radiate off this man. It was intense.

“Tyr, you can’t seriously be –“ But he cut Juun off with a wave of his hand. The silence around them was defining. And that’s when Poe realized what was nagging at him. It was deathly quiet around them. Aside from the crackling of the fire no other sounds could be heard from the jungle surrounding them. No insects, no creatures, not so much as a gust of wind. The moon itself was still.

That only meant one thing.

“We’re not alone,” Tyr said a moment before the silence broke.

…

The chaos of battle was still new. Rose had seen a couple of battles during her run with the Resistance, but they were always viewed from the back seat. Only once did she have the chance to see what a real battle was like first hand and that had been short lived and fairly straight forward. Stop the Crawlers; don’t die.

Simple.

This time was wholly different. There was no plan of attack, no calculated formation, no one giving orders. There was simply chaos. Rose was completely out of her element.

Tyr had listened to the Force, found they weren’t alone and then they were enveloped by blaster fire. Finn had grabbed her and flung her around his back as he returned fire. What exactly he was shooting at she didn’t know. Nor did she think he knew, either.

“The First Order,” Poe shouted from a distance to her right. “We’ve been exposed!”

“It’s not the First Order,” she and Finn shouted in unison.

“What!?”

“Not the right blasters,” said Finn.

“Older models,” she said.

Rose screamed as one of the Knights of Ren came flying back at them, thrown from whatever battle they had been fighting against whatever opponents were there. The red head, Juun, tumbled to the ground towards them before regaining her footing and skidding back in a kneeling position, ready to pounce again.

“Besides,” said Juun, blood seeping down the side of her defensive arm; something akin to claw marks crisscrossing her torso, “I don’t think Hux has lowered himself to using Force beasts against his enemies.” She wiped a smear of blood from her face with her saber arm. “Not that I’d put it past him.”

“Force beasts?!” Finn yelled. “What the hell’s a Force beast?”

Juun stretched out her arm, pointing with her saber. “That.”

Rose followed the saber’s path, a scream desperately trying to escape from her lips and utterly failing to do so.

Before them was a terrifying creature the likes of which she had never seen before. One she hoped to never see again.

The beast stood on four legs, as tall as man, with blood red scales covering its hide. She watched in horror as the blaster shots Finn fired at the creature disintegrated on contact.

“Don’t waste your time,” said Juun. “It’s hide is resistant.”

The beast roared with a thunderous sound, it’s oversized fangs dripping with saliva. From the corner of her eye Rose saw Poe take a shot and the beast fell to the ground with a hollow thud. Juun looked impressed.

“I guess it’s mouth isn’t resistant,” said Poe, with more than a little smugness. Behind the fallen beast three more just like emerged from the jungle.

“Don’t get cocky,” Juun said, propelling herself back into the fight.

Rose watched from behind Finn as Juun rejoined her comrades. The ferocity of their fight was astounding. She’d never seen anything like it. Each fought with a different, distinct style that was all their own, but that merged and mingled with their comrades in a way that was like a dance; complimenting and seamless.

Blaster fire flew past as Juun, Tyr, and Q’wyn swung their red light sabers deflecting blasts while slicing at the Force beasts that clawed and slashed at them. One beast flung its tail at Q’wyn who dogged by bending over backwards, flipping onto his saber hand with all the grace of a ballet dancer, and landing on his feet again in time to bring his saber up across the beasts exposed rib cage. It howled in pain, leaving itself open to Tyr who positioned himself in time to fling his saber in through the newly opened wound and slice the beast open across its stomach. It lay at his feet, dead.

He didn’t have time to stop and admire his kill before another beast reared it’s oversized fangs towards his torso. Tyr turned to face the beast, but Rose could see his reflexes weren’t fast enough. She was sure the beast was going to kill him so without a moments hesitation she pulled out her own blaster, took aim, and fired. Her blast disintegrated on contact with the beasts hide, but it was enough to cause the beast to pause, giving Tyr the time he needed to slice its head off with one clean swipe of his saber.

“Nice shot,” said Finn and the two of them continued to provide cover for the three Knights of Ren against the Force beasts and return fire to whom ever was shooting at them from within the jungle.

…

It had been a long time since Tyr had found the stress of battle tiresome. Not since his days as a Padawan for Skywalker had he ever felt boredom. Usually, the thrill came from the game; who among his fellow knights would work to best him? Who would be the one to kill more than him, fight with more flare, steal the finishing blow? Save their master, Tyr was strongest and most skilled among them. But he always enjoyed watching them try to best him. It interrupted the monotony of his life.

But these fucking monsters and their fucking masters were fucking relentless and more than anything it was pissing him the fuck off.

He ducked in time to barely be missed by the Maalraas’ hulking fangs as the creature aimed for his head. Spinning his saber above him he stabbed the beast in what he hoped was it’s jugular vein. As he pulled back the beast gave a terrifying shriek of pain and collapsed to the ground beside him.

“That makes four,” he said, standing to face another creature, blocking blaster fire with his saber.

He heard Juun’s war cry as she cleaved another Maalraas in two, her heavy breathing a sign that she was beginning to wear. “That’s it? Next you’ll expect me to carry your lazy ass back to the ship.”

Tyr couldn’t help but smirk. He also couldn’t help but think of some very aggressive activities he wanted the two of them to resume once they had a chance to be alone together. From his peripheral he saw Juun miss her step as she lunged into another attack and nearly had her head taken off by the Maalraas she fought. Luckily, she was skilled enough to compensate and secure a killing blow.

If looks could kill Tyr was sure he’d be dead ten times over from her glare alone.

“Focus, you two,” called Q’wyn. “There won’t me time for much of anything if we don’t survive this.”

Of course, Q’wyn was right. They were out numbered, without question. But by how much was a mystery. Tyr focused – they were surrounded on all sides by beings he could sense; Humanoid – forty by his best guess. Though ever so slowly that number dwindled. Though their assailants were well hidden within the jungle the Rebel fighters had managed to take out a few of them. Whether due to good aim or sheer luck was anyone’s guess.

As for the Maalraas, their main use in battle was their ability to hide their Force signature, so determining their number was impossible. As far as any of them knew there could be a hundred of them waiting for the chance to take their heads. They needed to force their attackers out of hiding. Take away at least one of their advantages.

_Thoughts?_

_They can’t hide forever. If we keep going they’ll come out eventually._

_We can’t fight forever, though. Plus, they have us surrounded and out numbered. The odds are not with us._

_If we separate one half from the other that will at least give us a smaller target to aim at._

_Good. How do we do it?_

_I’ve got an idea…_

Those words always put a bad taste in Tyr’s mouth. Juun very rarely had an idea that didn’t threaten to kill one, if not all, of them at a time.

Sure enough his worst fears were brought to life.

He watched helplessly as she broke away from the fight and rushed head long towards the Rebel’s hiding spot. Somehow she convinced one of them, Rose he believed, to give up a blaster. After a minute of tinkering he watched Juun run behind the Rebels into the jungle and throw the blaster with all her might.

The preceding explosion nearly took out half the moon. Tyr just managed to duck in time to avoid a large chunk of a tree that had his name on it. The ground shook from the impact of the explosion; screams of pain could be heard all around. Once the debris settled Tyr ran with all his might. He jumped over fallen trees and through the underbrush that smelled of burnt ash and smoke. It stung his eyes to a degree he had felt only once before. Another landscape of fire and death.

He ran past the rebels without a glance. They could be dead.

He didn’t care.

Her body lay still among smoldering earth, her face hidden from him amidst hair that morbidly reminded him of the burial shrouds of his people. He prayed to gods he had long since dismissed as he carefully cradled her body to his. He ignored the voice of his comrade in his head, begging to know if they were alive. If _she_ was alive.

As if in answer she stirred, turning into him, her hair cascading down her face; like she herself had ripped the shroud from her and laughed at the god of Death saying ‘not today, devil.’

At this she did laugh. “Always a poet,” she said, her voice hoarse from the smoke.

“You’re a dick,” he said without malice. She smiled and reached to caress his cheek, rubbing away a bit of moisture with her thumb.

 _Learned_ _it_ _from_ _you_ , _Love_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promise there will be more Ben and Rey shenanigans next chapter. This one was really hard to write, so I fell back on my favorite oc’s at the end. Hope you all liked them as much as I do. 
> 
> Also, I have no idea how to format in html so here’s another copy/paste link to Wookiepedia! Yay!
> 
> Maalraas: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Maalraas
> 
> Please comment with thoughts and feelings. Kudos are nice as well. Peace!


End file.
